What, if anything, is "South African" about the music performed in and by South Africans? This comprehensive handbook answers this question by looking at how South Africans (black and white have used music to express a sense of place in South Africa, on the African continent, and around the world.

Drawing on extensive field and archival research, as well as her own personal experiences, noted ethnomusicologist and South African native Carol Ann Muller, explores the range of sources that make music from South Africa related to, yet so distinct from, other music from the African continent and around the world. The accompanying CD offers vivid examples of traditional, popular, and classical South African musical styles.